Amazon Instant Video Appears on the iPad

By Brad Chacos, LAPTOP Contributor | Aug 1, 2012 10:52 AM EST

Apple-loving streaming media fans rejoice! Amazon Instant Video, a top-notch video service that has been conspicuously missing from the iOS lineup, has finally touched down on the iPad. Amazon’s video service boasts over 120,000 titles to rent or buy, including hits from both the big screen and the small screen.

In addition, Amazon Prime subscribers can use the app to stream a large selection of free videos included with their $79/yr. membership. The company plays coy with the exact numbers, but in a press release issued in late July to herald an agreement bringing Warner Brother shows to Instant Video, Amazon bragged that Prime members now have access to over 18,000 streaming titles.

Apple takes a commission fee of 30 percent from anything downloaded from the App Store, including in-app purchases. Dave Zatz of ZatzNotFunny has spent some time playing around with the Amazon Instant Video iPad app and reports that Amazon has worked around the charge by requiring users to actually fire up Safari and head to Amazon.com to make a video purchase. If you want to cut down the frustration of hopping between apps to buy your favorite titles, Amazon Instant Video also offers TV Pass subscriptions for many shows, which will automatically download new episodes to your iPad (and charge you accordingly). You can also download videos for offline viewing.

Amazon Instant Video still isn’t available for the iPhone, iPod touch or Apple TV, but the news is encouraging for cable cord-cutting Apple fans. Just yesterday, Hulu Plus appeared on Apple TVs across the U.S. for the first time.